Humpback whale “Skipper” breaches in Washington’s Puget Sound. *Jourdan Jackson, Puget Sound Express*

Humpback Whale “Skipper” Defies Odds, Survives Ship Strike and Entanglement

Whale Watchers Overjoyed at Return of Young Whale After Seven Months of Uncertainty

VANCOUVER, BC & SEATTLE, WA - June 25, 2026 - After nearly seven months of uncertainty, “Skipper”, the humpback whale likely struck by a ferry last October, has been seen alive in the Salish Sea. According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), the one-year-old whale was photographed earlier this week by the crew of Puget Sound Express near Whidbey Island, Washington.

The sighting comes as a relief to whale watchers concerned about the fate of the young whale who was believed to have been struck by the Hullo ferry near Vancouver, BC on October 17, 2025. On October 20, 2025, naturalist Sara Jenkins of Wild Whales Vancouver photographed humpback BCX1193 “Zig Zag” and her calf, “Skipper”, just a few miles from the scene of the incident. Skipper had a deep wound behind her dorsal fin consistent with a recent ship strike. The injury was not present when the calf was seen on October 16, the day before the strike. Given the location and timing, it’s presumed Skipper was the whale struck by the passenger ferry.

Skipper appeared to be healing when she was last photographed near Orcas Island, WA on December 6, 2025 by Sophia Madden of Outer Island Excursions, but there had been no sightings since. Since humpback whales typically leave the Salish Sea each winter for the breeding grounds in Hawaiʻi, Mexico, and Central America, the whale watching community was left wondering whether Skipper had succumbed to her injuries, or if she simply traveled south as part of the annual migration.

During this week’s encounter, Skipper was observed breaching and diving normally. Unfortunately, a ship strike might not be the only ordeal that young Skipper has overcome. Photographs from the encounter reveal what appears to be deep scarring near her tail indicative of a previous entanglement in fishing gear.

“Ship strike and entanglement are the two primary threats to local humpback whales”, said Erin Gless, executive director of the PWWA. “The fact that Skipper has likely dealt with both before reaching her second birthday is heartbreaking. We hope Skipper can continue to heal and grow while here in the Salish Sea.”

According to reports from shore-based observers in the Orca Network Community Group, a public Facebook group that shares real-time whale sightings from in and around Washington’s Puget Sound, Skipper was last seen near Olympia, WA on Wednesday, June 24.

With more humpbacks arriving in the region every day, Gless encourages boaters to stay vigilant, and to look for signs of whales nearby such as spouts (exhalations), splashing, bird activity, or nearby whale watching vessels.

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